Chapter 10Wilderness
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DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE
Here now is the part of God’s Israelite story (skit) that after being fully understood will crush all Biblical confusion you may hold from seemingly conflicting — they really are not! — New Testament Scripture verses concerning what a person MUST DO to obtain eternal life. The revelation is contained in the “wilderness part” of God’s Israelite “salvation story” involving their expedition from Egyptian bondage to Canaan (Promise Land). So put your thinking caps on and listen up!
So far, in the Israelite’s story, we learned the Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians (trapped on land south of the Promise Land) with no possible way to escape their bondage situation and return to the Promise Land because Pharaoh’s army held the “power of death” over them. This all symbolized mankind’s souls were in bondage to sin (spiritually separated from God’s Spirit) with no possible way to escape their bondage situation and return to spiritual union with God’s Spirit in His Kingdom (obtain eternal life) because ALL mankind’s souls had sinned; therefore, Satan held the “power of spiritual death” over mankind’s souls.
But GOD did something wonderful for the Israelites! HE PERSONALLY delivered them out of bondage to the Egyptians (by working through a man named Moses) which placed them in a wilderness with the ability to reach the Promise Land (Canaan) on their own accord. This prophetically symbolized how GOD would PERSONALLY deliver mankind’s souls out of bondage to sin (by working through a man named Jesus Christ the Messiah) which placed them in a position where THEY were now (on their own accord) able to return to spiritual union with God.
I want you to fully understand an important truth easily gleaned from the Israelite’s salvation story, as it relates to mankind’s salvation … God’s “deliverance” of the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage (through Moses) DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY PLACE THEM IN THE PROMISE LAND (CANAAN)!!! Do you see? ALL God’s supernatural deliverance DID was make it now POSSIBLE for them to reach and enter it. Likewise, God’s “deliverance” of mankind’s souls out of bondage to sin (through Jesus) DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY PLACE THEM IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD (the place of eternal life)!!! ALL it DID was make it now POSSIBLE for mankind’s souls to obtain eternal life.
Wrestle with this truth in your mind until you get it! Let me try and explain it another way for you; ALL God’s “delivering-of-mankind’s-souls-out-of-bondage-to-sin” truly means is that a “Messianic-sinless-sacrificial-spiritual-death-payment” now existed to be able to pay the spiritual death penalty for the “wages of sin” a man committed. Thus, through the availability of THIS, mankind’s SOULS now technically had a WAY OUT of their hopeless “spiritual-separation-(death)-from-God’s-Spirit” situation. This all simply means a WAY back to God was now open, and it was through what Jesus had done! So THAT is truly how mankind’s souls were now technically FREE from their bondage to sin and its resulting spiritual death.
The only question remaining then is … what MUST a soul DO on Earth so that the above happens for him? In other words, what MUST a soul DO so that Jesus’ “sinless sacrificial spiritual death” is applied as full payment for its sins? Friend, the answer is in the Israelite’s story (skit)!!! All we have to do is discover what God told the Israelites in the wilderness THEY MUST DO to reach and enter the Promise Land and we will have our answer. Do you understand? In other words, whatever this truth is, it will be precisely what a SOUL MUST also DO in order that God will apply the “Messianic-sinless-sacrificial-spiritual-death-payment” to a person’s soul as FULL PAYMENT (or ransom) for their sins, which will grant their soul entrance (eternal life) in the Kingdom of God!
THE JOURNEY
Here is what God told the Israelites:
“ALL the (10 Love) Commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to DO, THAT YE MAY LIVE … and GO IN and POSSESS THE LAND which the Lord sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 8:1).
Ah, do you see it my friend? It was the 10 Love Commandments!!! It was here in the wilderness that God spoke on Mount Sinai (and wrote on stone tables) the 10 Love Commandments and told the Israelites if they would live daily by them, all would go well for them and their children and they would march right into the Promise Land, but if they didn’t they would perish in the wilderness and NEVER enter the Promise Land!
See, this “wilderness scenario” was all part of God’s Israelite skit that He was controlling to explain EVERYTHING involved in a man’s spiritual journey back to Him. Thus, this “Sinai scene” was created by God to proclaim MANKIND’S PART in obtaining salvation (or obtaining eternal life in the Promise Land) for their souls. And ALL mankind has to DO is make a willful choice to live daily by always striving to obey God’s 10 Love Commandments and they will obtain eternal life, but if they willfully choose not to they will perish!
But what is turning (or changing) from a lifestyle of “willful disobedience to the 10 Love Commandments” to one of “willfully obeying them” called? It is REPENTANCE!!! See, the 10 Love Commandments were not something new to the Israelites, nor were they something new to any man who had ever lived. Friend, it all went back to Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden and the moment mankind’s souls learned the KNOWLEDGE of GOOD & EVIL by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Do you remember from chapter 3 Adam & Eve?) From that moment, ALL mankind’s souls born on Earth had a willful choice to either follow the WAY of GOOD (LOVE) or the WAY of EVIL (SIN), as outlined by “obedience to” or “disobedience to” the 10 Love Commandments, respectively.
So that is it, my friend! It is as simple as that! Now you know why EVERYONE on Earth has had a chance at obtaining eternal life. God did not (and still does not!) require a person to know the story of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) to obtain eternal life. ALL He wants them to DO is to LIVE RIGHT!!! Do you also now see how FAIR God has been to all His spirit children on Earth, no matter when or where they were born? Friend, all mankind has known their part (or duty) in obtaining eternal life was/is to willingly walk the WAY of GOOD over the WAY of EVIL. And now you know why the Bible records the way (or spiritual journey) to eternal life is …
“REPENTANCE” FOR “FORGIVENESS OF SINS” = ETERNAL LIFE
Thus, John the Baptist preached:
“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance FOR the remission (forgiveness) of sins” (Mark 1:4).
And after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples:
“These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that ALL things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance AND remission (forgiveness) of sins should be preached in his (Christ’s) name among all nations” (Luke 24:44-47).
ARK OF THE COVENANT
To validate REPENTANCE (changing one’s life from willful disobedience to willful obedience of the 10 Love Commandments) is mankind’s part in obtaining eternal life in the Promise Land (Kingdom of God) for their soul, God required a special thing to be done with the two stone tables He etched with His own finger with the 10 Love Commandments: He told Moses to make an ARK to put them in!!!
Friend, here it is again … another A.R.K. (A Righteous Kingdom)! See, by this “physical event” God was verifying the ONLY spirit children who will be IN the KINGDOM OF GOD one day will be those who choose at some point in their life to walk Iafter (and then continue to walk after) God’s 10 Love Commandments, just like the 2 stone tables were the ONLY thing in the ark! Pretty cool, huh?
“And he (God) wrote on the tables … the TEN COMMANDMENTS, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly … And I (Moses) turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables IN THE ARK which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me” (Deuteronomy 10:1-5).
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Alright, since we know the 10 Love Commandments (if willfully disobeyed) contain ALL the sins that can cause a soul to perish, it behooves us to take a detailed look at them. But remember, they are actually already in your heart for God has placed the ability to know Good (love) from Evil (sin) in everyone.
The 10 Love Commandments have a “DO NOT side” and a “DO side” to each of them, and only when BOTH sides are being obeyed is someone truly pleasing God by following that Commandment. In this chapter in the book, I go into great detail explaining each side of each Commandment and how Moses, Jesus, and Paul (and all the prophets) confirmed willful obedience to them was the path to eternal life and willful disobedience to them was the path to eternal death in the lake of fire. (So please read this chapter in the book!) But here in this online chapter summary I will simply list the 10 Love Commandments with their respective “do not side” and “do side”.
| DON’T | DO |
1. Have gods Before God (Love)
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Make God (Love) First In Life
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2. Worship Idols (Dirt)
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Worship God (Spirit)
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3. Blaspheme God’s Name
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Glorify God’s Name
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4. Keep Sabbath Day Holy
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Keep Sabbath Day Holy
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5. Dishonor Father & Mother
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Honor Father & Mother
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6. Murder
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Forgive
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7. Commit Adultery
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Honor Marriage Bed
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8. Steal
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Give
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9. Lie
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Speak Truth
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10. Covet Possessions
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Be Content
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Well, there they are … the 10 Love Commandments! Friend, if you willingly strive to live your life in accordance to these 10 “things” you WILL receive forgiveness for your sins through Christ’s atoning work, and one day you WILL enter the Promise Land (Kingdom of God) and obtain eternal life for your soul.
Listen to Jesus verify everything I have just told you:
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what GOOD THING shall I DO, that I may have eternal life? And he (Jesus) said unto him … if thou wilt enter into life, KEEP THE (10 LOVE) COMMANDMENTS” (Matthew 19:16-17).
Right now Planet Earth is a spiritual wilderness. It is a wild and unruly place where sin (non loving thoughts and deeds) run wild in many of God’s spirit children who have chosen to DO the work of Satan. But one day we will behold Satan and marvel that he is the “being” that turned Earth that way:
“They that see thee (Satan) shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble … That made the world as a WILDERNESS…that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:16-17).
Yes, our lives are a spiritual journey through a wilderness, and the road that leads to the Promise Land (eternal life) is paved in our hearts. You get on that road the moment you choose to forsake Evil (sin) and follow God’s WAY of Good (love) by aligning your life up to His 10 Holy Love Commandments. Oh, sure, you may stumble and fall along the WAY but get right back up and repurpose in your heart that you will never do that sin again! That is how you WALK the HIGHWAY of HOLINESS that leads to eternal life. I pray you find the courage and strength to make this wilderness journey, for I promise you will not be disappointed when you reach the Promise Land.
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